February 15
- Florida Keys History Center
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
1925 – John Phillip Sousa, the famous march king, arrived in Key West with his wife and daughter. They were guests at the Hotel Casa Marina.
1926 – Prohibition officers descended on Key West and raided 25 supposed liquor bootlegging establishments and seized a quantity of booze. The alleged owners of the illegal bars were taken to jail prior to appearing in front of the U.S. Commissioner.
1956 – A Navy ZPG-2 blimp malfunctioned shortly after take-off at Boca Chica Naval Air Station and crashed, taking out 1,800 feet of power lines and damaging the road. All crewmen were OK, suffering only bumps and bruises.
1957 – Humorist S.J. Perelman was vacationing in Key West.
1958 – Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Evinrude (she was better known as singer Frances Langford) stopped in Key West on their yacht.
1985 – The gunsight hood from the Battleship Maine, which had been at Harris School since it was first given to Key West, was moved to the new Key West Post Office on Whitehead Street. A rededication ceremony was held to mark the transfer.
1995 – The new 19,999-square-foot terminal at Marathon Airport opened. The terminal was part of a $7.4 million airport upgrade.
1998 – A crowd of more than 500 gathered at the Key West Cemetery to rededicate the plot that had been restored to mark the sinking of the USS Maine 100 years before in Havana.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: A blimp from the Boca Chica Naval Air Station over the water near Key West, 1950s. From the L.P. Artman Jr. Collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
